BBC Sport signs Liverpool for Uefa Cup

Liverpool, England’s top club in the Uefa Cup for next season will feature exclusively in Match of the Day Live on BBC One with their home matches throughout the competition.

The matches will also be carried exclusively live by BBC Radio 5 Live. Away fixtures will be negotiated on a per match basis for both radio and television.

Rick Parry Liverpool’s Chief Executive said: ‘Liverpool has had a fantastic history in Europe and most of it has been shown by the BBC, so it’s great to be back where the maximum number of fans will be able to see and hear our progress in Europe this season. We hope it’s an omen for a return to the glory days in Europe.’

Richard Sambrook, acting Director of Sport for the BBC said: ‘Signing Liverpool, one of the great club sides in Europe, shows how serious we are about bringing more live football to BBC One. We’ve shown our ability to consistently attract the highest audiences with our Euro2000 live coverage and the same great team will follow Liverpool in Europe.’

The deal is the first negotiation involving the Granada Media Group, which now represents the club’s media interests. Gary Knight, GMG’s executive commercial director and Rick Parry negotiated the deal with Dominic Coles, BBC Sport’s financial and commercial director.

This is the latest deal in the BBC’s growing portfolio of live football on television which will expand in season 2001/02 onwards with the FA Cup and England competitive internationals up to and including 2004.

Match of the Day Live will also feature the Uefa Super Cup final in Monte Carlo on August 25 between Real Madrid and Galatasaray.

For Further Information Please Contact:

Mike Hales
BBC Sport Publicity
T: 020 8225 9900

Ian Cotton
Liverpool FC
T: 0151 2638459